Smartphone manufacturer Alcatel has two big reasons to celebrate this Christmas – it increased its revenue in Australia by 188 per cent in 2018 and was just announced as the new major sponsorship partner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The announcement, which will see Alcatel as the main sponsor of the team’s away jersey, was made at a special event attended by South Sydney players, officials and media.

Alcatel has been a loyal sponsorship partner of the South Sydney rugby league team for eight years and has signed a new agreement that will see the popular brand displayed on the front of the jersey for away matches in the 2019 and 2020 NRL seasons.

South Sydney stars Damien Cook and Cody Walker modelled the new away jersey when it was revealed at the sponsorship event.

The new deal will also see parent company TCL’s logo displayed on the lower back of home game jerseys.

Damien Cook and Cody Walker model the new South Sydney away jersey featuring the Alcatel logo

Alcatel, which has sold almost a million handsets in 2018, is best known for offering high-quality devices at easily affordable prices.

This year the company introduced a number of sub-$200 devices that were extremely popular with customers and lead to a 188 per cent increase in unit sales which more than doubled its local revenue in 2018.

Alcatel has also maintained its number three position in Australia behind Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market – a ranking the company has held for the last three years.

“This is an exciting day for Alcatel and the broader TCL Group in Australia as we grow our partnership with the Rabbitohs into one that will see the team proudly wearing our brand across their chest for at least the next two seasons,” said Sam Skontos, VP and Regional Managing Director, South East Asia & Pacific, for Alcatel.

“While brand exposure may seem like the most obvious benefit, our long-term relationship with the club means that we have also seen first-hand the crucial role this club plays in their local community.

“The unheralded work behind the scenes with Souths Cares, their youth and indigenous initiatives is also very important to us.

“Our brand fits the rugby league market perfectly, and our journey as an organisation mirrors in many ways that of Souths over the better part of the last decade.

We have grown into a powerhouse brand in the mobile phone and tablet market with a focus on technology accessible to all, and we couldn’t be prouder to have grown the relationship continuously over the last eight seasons.

“This new partnership will further propel our brand awareness and help consolidate our position in the market and further our growth.”

Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly is excited about the possibilities this partnership with Alcatel can bring to both organisations.

“Alcatel have been a highly valued partner of the Rabbitohs for eight years now and their commitment to our Club is nothing short of outstanding,” Mr Solly said.

“To see them increase their involvement through the away jersey partnership is a real boon for our Club, as we share so many of the same values and vision for our businesses.”

“I recently travelled to Shenzhen to meet with the executive team at Alcatel and TCL and they have some exciting plans for their business as well as their partnership with us.